Resilience Day was held on 10 December during the 2024 UN Desertification Conference (UNCCD COP 16), with events focusing on the Freshwater Challenge and solutions to combat soil degradation.
Discussions during Resilience Day focused on the interconnectedness of challenges and solutions related to land degradation, water scarcity, drought, and desertification. During a high-level session at the close of Resilience Day, Fatimata Cheiffou, Ambassador of Niger to Italy and a member of a nomadic community, emphasized that the health of land is inseparable from the health of its people, and called for collective action for land restoration.
A representative of Saudi Arabia described actions for water sector resilience, such as the construction of terraces for rain harvesting, building reservoirs for storing the scarce rainfall when it comes, and land restoration projects undertaken by the National Center for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification. He called for an intergovernmental body or international organization to develop resilience strategies, especially related to drought mitigation.
A representative of Chad called attention to the people of the Sahel, who, without means of subsistence, are joining armed rebel groups such as Boko Haram. He highlighted national initiatives to counter the advance of the desert by 2.5 kilometers every five years, such as land allocation for farming and National Tree Week, when every citizen plants at least one tree. One speaker cautioned that land restoration efforts will be limited if resourcing is inadequate and called for large-scale programmes that place communities and host governments at the center and are supported by blended financing.
On the issue of water scarcity, another speaker: underlined the importance of strong institutions and governance around water management; recalled that low water service fees for irrigation give a perverse incentive to farmers to grow water-intensive crops in arid areas; and cited significant investment needs, particularly given the impacts of climate change and growing populations.
The high-level session was organized by the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), the World Bank Group, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), and the World Food Programme (WFP).
During an event on the Freshwater Challenge, Paula Martinelli, Wetlands International, explained that the initiative seeks to accelerate, elevate, and substantiate the restoration of 300,000 kilometers of degraded rivers and 350 million hectares of degraded wetlands by 2030, as well as conserve intact freshwater ecosystems. It also aims to provide a strategic way to help countries meet national commitments across the three Rio Conventions and the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, particularly in the context of water security. Thus far, 50 countries have joined the country-led initiative that was launched in 2023 at the UN Water Conference. Speakers highlighted that the Challenge allows civil society organizations (CSOs) to contribute through regional knowledge exchanges and offer support to governments, citing the example of The Nature Conservancy’s (TNC) efforts to help Ecuador work more closely with Indigenous Peoples, through a fluvial reserve mechanism.
The event was organized by WWF and Wetlands International.
Another event discussed the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and remote sensing technologies to better understand the nature and degree of soil degradation as better monitoring would help countries develop actionable plans to save soils. One panelist presented on monitoring soil degradation patterns under varying climate and management practices, noting that soil degradation incurs losses of more than USD 10 trillion a year.
The Soil Vulnerability Index (SVI), developed by the UN University (UNU), was presented. It quantifies soil health based on physical indicators of soil erosion, electrical conductivity, pH levels, and soil organic carbon. Through its use, AI-driven projections of soil vulnerability can be developed to better understand trends in soil health around the world.
One speaker described how to ensure enough healthy and resilient soils on the planet to both provide food and sequester carbon, given that soil could become a net carbon emitter in the next two or three decades. He stressed combining knowledge of soil vulnerability with knowledge of where water is being lost to make better decisions about where to produce which food. Another speaker discussed soil degradation impacts on grasslands and savannahs, which cover more than 50% of the terrestrial surface of the planet, support 25% of its population, and sequester about 33% of global carbon emissions.
The event was organized by the UNU Institute for Integrated Management of Material Fluxes and of Resources (UNU-FLORES).
